Water batteries are much safer due to their lower energy density, as they have a narrow range of voltages in which they can work.
Chinese scientists from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics have created a new type of water-based battery that stores energy more efficiently and is safer than standard lithium-ion batteries. They devoted a scientific article to this project, published in the journal Nature Energy.
The energy density of a battery directly depends on how much energy it can hold depending on its size and weight. Lithium-ion batteries hold energy well and are considered very energy-intensive. That is why they are used so widely. However, the new water-based batteries store energy even better than their standard counterparts.
Water batteries are much safer due to their lower energy density because they have a narrow range of voltages in which they can operate. However, by adding bromide to the electrolyte solution, the researchers significantly increased the amount of stored energy — in 2 times This is achieved through the use of bromide ions in redox reactions, which are commonly used in batteries of this type. It is worth noting that the safety of the water battery has remained at the previous level.
The research team hopes that the improvement of the efficiency of water-based batteries and their ability to compete with lithium-ion batteries will contribute to the rapid implementation of this technology.